Red Sox clobber Rays for first win of the season

Oh, sweet relief; the Red Sox won a game.

The fists were pumping and hands clapping in the home dugout at Fenway Park on Monday night, as the Sox got off the schneid with an 11-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The takeaways:

1. Sox starter Nick Pivetta was wild, but effective in his first start of the year as he held the Rays scoreless over five innings. His fastball was sitting at 95 mph, up 2 mph from his average velocity in 2020, and his slider looked like a weapon (seven whiffs on 19 swings). He struck out four and walked four, allowing just two hits.

2. Franchy Cordero launched a double to score Christian Vazquez in the second inning and for the first time in 29 innings this year, the Red Sox had a lead. Cordero waved to the dugout when he got to second, starting a string of on-field celebrations for the Sox offense as they poured it on Rays right-hander Michael Wacha (five runs in five innings) and former Sox righty Chris Mazza (six runs in 2 ⅔ innings).

3. Randy Arozarena sure can play the outfield. Arozarena made perhaps the defensive play of the year with a diving catch in the right-center field gap to rob Hunter Renfroe of extra bases, then made another diving grab in the eighth to steal one from Kiké Hernandez.

Randy Arozarena did what?! pic.twitter.com/XMpn5l4rMi

— MLB (@MLB) April 6, 2021

4. Xander Bogaerts had a four-hit night, using the whole field to spray around a few line drives and one bloop single to right.

Ball didn't leave the park but Xander still found a way to touch 'em all. pic.twitter.com/wUAEOMXgcK

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 6, 2021

5. J.D. Martinez roped one off Pesky’s Pole for a three-run shot in the eighth. He has both of the Sox’ home runs so far this year.

A three-run oppo taco! pic.twitter.com/WkOIWRKdQz

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 6, 2021

 

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3uramM4